Mark Your Calendars! Third Annual Arts and Education Symposium Scheduled for October 30, 2013
The Third Annual Arts and Education Symposium is scheduled for Wednesday, October 30, 2013.  This all-day event will again be hosted at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg and will feature arts and education leaders from across the state and the nation to discuss the important topics of the day.  The 2013 Symposium agenda and registration will be available later this summer.


EPLC a Grassroots Partner of Arts Advocacy Day 2013 

 

EPLC joined several cultural, civic, and education organizations to help sponsor the training of arts advocates at the 2013 National Arts Advocacy Day in Washington D.C. on April 8 and 9.  Pennsylvanian arts supporters that would like to learn about, and help support, the arts at a federal level can visit the Arts Advocacy Day website or read this year's Congressional Arts Handbook. 

Representatives of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council outside of Representative Mike Doyle's office prior to their meeting on Arts Advocacy Day, April 9

 

EPLC's "Focus on Education" Program April Episode 

EPLC and PA Cable Network (PCN) have partnered for a new program focusing on education issues in Pennsylvania.  View the April episode of EPLC's "Focus on Education" series online.  In this episode, EPLC President Ron Cowell and PCN Host Corinna Vecsey Wilson are joined by Marcela Diaz Myers, President of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA); Pamela M. Price, Director of Board Development Services, PSBA; and Roberta M. Marcus, Master School Board Member, Parkland School District to discuss School Boards and the Work of School Board Members. 

 

The monthly show produced by EPLC and PCN will be broadcast on PCN at 9:00 p.m. on the 2nd Wednesday of every month, now through June, and then again this fall in September through December.  PCN typically repeats the broadcast several times each month.  To learn more, click here.  Information about sponsorships available for the show which is aired statewide can be obtained by contacting Ron Cowell at 717-260-9900 or cowell@eplc.org. 

Interested in Other Education Policy News?   

Workshops on the Arts & Autism Spectrum Disorders   

PAEA Accepting Proposals for Annual Fall Conference  

• Submit a full conference session proposal
• Suggest a conference topic
• Nominate a speaker
• Nominate an organization or program for a site visit
• Offer to share your expertise as a presenter, panelist, facilitator, or peer mentor, without having to submit a full session proposal.  

Submissions will be accepted until May 22, 2013.

Webinar on Collective Impact Available for Viewing

On March 20, 2013, John Kania, managing director of FSG, presented his research into the uses of "collective impact" by the social sector, followed by a discussion with NEA Director of Arts Education Ayanna Hudson.  Both Kania and Hudson then took questions from the public.

As defined by FSG, collective impact is the commitment of a group of actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a complex social problem. The webinar examined how collective impact can help federal, state, and local leaders move forward in a common direction.

Watch the video, below, or on youtube.

NEA Arts Education Webinar: Collective Impact

American Girl is asking art teachers to inspire students with a chance to win up to $10,000 for their schools.

American Girl asks, "Is your classroom filled with artists on the rise?  Let your students take art class to new heights with a project that could win your school up to $10,000!  This extra-special assignment includes two components: a digital image of artwork created by the class and a written essay of 500 words or less.  Teachers, submit the class project and the essay before May 31, 2013, and your school could be one of 13 lucky winners!"   

American Girl is partnering with Americans for the Arts to promote arts education through 2013's Girl of the Year, Saige, a character who inspires action in her school when she learns they might lose their art classes.  For more information, visit their website, here. 

The Cultural Enrichment Fund, Central Pennsylvania's united arts fund, issues a request for proposals each year for the launch or expansion of arts programs designed to integrate cultural appreciation into the everyday lives of underserved audiences.

This supplemental grant fund is designed to expand the organization's support of the capital region's arts community beyond its thirteen member groups.  Applications will be accepted from any nonprofit organization in the capital region looking to launch or expand a program designed to integrate cultural appreciation into the everyday lives of under-served audiences.  Applications are due by May 15.  For more information, visit the Cultural Enrichment Fund's website, here. 

MetLife Foundation & National Guild Announce Grants

The National Guild for Community Arts Education has received a $275,000 grant from MetLife Foundation to continue the MetLife Foundation Partners in Arts Education Program. The national initiative--now entering its ninth year--aims to improve teaching and learning in the arts by supporting and promoting exemplary partnerships between nonprofit arts education organizations and public schools.  Objectives for 2013 include the distribution of grants of up to $20,000 to support arts education partnerships during the 2013-2014 school year and the production of a partnership training institute in conjunction with the Guild's annual Conference for Community Arts Education (Oct. 30 - Nov. 2 in Chicago, IL).  Applications are due May 16.  For more information, visit their website, here.  

Network Coordinator Stresses State & Local Advocacy

Erin Gough, coordinator of the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network, shared another blog post on the Americans for the Arts ARTSblog.  After a week of national arts advocacy activities in Washington D.C., she reflects on the necessity of arts education advocates to be part of education policy discussions at the state and local levels.  Read her full post, here. 

Capital Area School for the Arts Gains Charter Status

The Capital Area School for the Arts (CASA) in Harrisburg, was recently granted charter school status by the Harrisburg

School District.  The school will enroll 160 students from 24 participating central Pennsylvania school districts in the 2013-14 school year.  For more information about the school's new opportunities and challenges as a charter school, read this article from the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

Yo-Yo Ma Tells Inspiring Tale of "Art for Life's Sake"

On April 8, Yo-Yo Ma gave the annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Policy at the Kennedy Center as part of Americans for the Arts Arts Advocacy Day.   His very moving speech and incorporated performances are available for viewing below.  His presentation focused on the idea of "Art for Life's Sake," and the many ways in which the arts can be incorporated with other disciplines to achieve a much greater effect.  His "three big ideas" are listed below:

1. Societies are powered by three engines: politics, economics and culture.  A vibrant society exists when all three engines are firing and intersecting, resulting in a populace that is energized, engaged and fulfilled.

 

2. Our collective work in the arts is not just relevant, but essential to strengthening our culture and positively influencing society.  Thus: "Art for Life's Sake."

 

3. The arts are the way to foster the four critical skills necessary for our children to succeed in the 21st-century workforce: collaboration, flexibility, imagination, innovation.

Nancy Hanks Lecture 2013: Yo-Yo Ma

Bald Eagle Area High School Students Highlighted

Students from Bald Eagle Area High School were given an opportunity to participate in the Nittany-Con comics convention in State College.  Their original comics and cartoons were displayed along comic book industry legends such as Stan Lee and Pennsylvania native and PA Governor's School for the Arts Alumni, Jason Lenox.  For more information about what the students learned from this unique opportunity, read the Centre Daily article, here.

National Music Foundation Honors PA High School

Parkland School District, in the Lehigh Valley, has been honored by The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation for its comprehensive music education program for all students K-12.

 

The NAMM Foundation, from Carlsbad, California, recognized Parkland School District for its outstanding commitment to music education with a Best Communities for Music Education designation.  Parkland School District joined 307 districts across the country to receive the prestigious distinction this year.

 

The BCME designation is an important part of the NAMM Foundation's efforts to advocate for school-based music education.  Numerous studies have demonstrated that learning to play music can boost other academic and social skills, such as math and learning to cooperate in a group.  The NAMM-funded Cost of Music Education study found that a comprehensive K-12 music education program cost an average of $187 per student per year in the sample district.

 

 

Embracing Arts Education to Achieve Title 1 Goals

On April 3, at the Arts Education Partnership's National Forum in D.C., the California Alliance for Arts Education released its new policy paper, A Policy Pathway: Embracing Arts Education to Achieve Title 1 Goals.

Arts Education Navigator

Through a partnership with Vans Custom Culture, Americans for the Arts has designed the Arts Education Navigator, a series of e-books designed to help educators, students, and advocates navigate the complex field of arts education.

Each e-book in the Navigator series below will cover a specific topic, ensuring arts education supporters are equipped with the knowledge, statistics, and case-making techniques needed to effectively communicate with decision-makers.

Arts, Culture & Economic Prosperity Report Unveiled